Coordinate switch



June 30, 1925. 1,543,670

. I F. H. GRAHAM COGRDINATE SWITCH Filed Sept. 7, 1922 llllllllllmmm Patented June 30, 1925 ATUNITEDJSTATES.

1,543,670 PATENT OFFICE.

(+3 FRANK GRAHAM, NEW YORK, N. Y.,'ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COM- PANY, INCORPORATED, OFNEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

. COORDINATE SWITCH.

Bei known that I, FRANK HLGnA'rrA a citizen of the United States of-Aineriea,

residing. at New Yorlq'in the. county of New York and' -State of New York, have invented certain fnew and useful Improvements in Coordinate Switches, of which the following is a'full, clear, concise,and exact description. This 'invention relatesto automatic tele phone exchange switching a paratu's, and more particularly to the so'-cal ed coordinate switches'of the type generally adapted for establishing connection in an" automatic telephonee'xchange system;

This invention is particularly adaptable to aswitching system of the t pe disclosed in I a atent to Charles L. oodrum and John'gl'. Reynolds, No. 1,515,735,,granted November'18, 1924, but it will be apparent tothoseskilled in the an that this invention may be applied" equally well to perform other switchingfunction's with fewchanges in the o erat' circuit] i The object 0 this invention is to provide an. economical and im roved form of coordinate 'swi'tch'whic will be com act, simple, and re'l'iable'in operation'and w ere-f in each operating part is readily accessible for adjustmentj is is accom li'shedjby providing longitudinally 'mov ab' e contact, operating bars whereby the coordinately arranged contactselecti' .bars may belocated outside of the zoneof ie'active and passive conductors or 1 contacts where they Wil 1' be readily accessible. i

For further details oflth invention, reference may beinade' to'the 'accoinpan ing' drawing, in which Fi i'sapartial a t s mb y w Of ai wash-F F g- 2 sectional view 'thereoffshowingthe upper set of active" 'conthctfi operative position. Fi a: is a topvieivof Fig.2. he structurejshownconsists in general of astati'ona r gridgcomprising the vertical sne r insu ating tp faiterial 1, 1" andl", sets df interwoven-cross wires '3, 4, band 6, 7' 8' and 9 reterred to hereinafter as passive conductors, together, with vertical rows of active wire contact sets It), 11,12, 13 and 14, 15, 16, 17, 'andoperatin mecha-r nine forselectively moving the val; one sets of active contact wires into engagement with other: associated passive conductors. The.

structure may'.l e,o f any desired width to accommodate as many vertical rows of actlve 7,1922. Serial No. 588,613.

contacts sets and as many sets per row as may be required. I 1

The active contact wires 10,11,12, 13, and 1 4, 15, 16, 17 are arranged on vertical bars of insulating material 18 which are held securely onthe switch frame 19 by any suitable means. i

Eachset of active contact wires "is prov1ded with an operating card 20 having apertures 21 through which the active wires extend in juxtaposition to the grid wire contacts. The operating cards 20 are slidably arranged in guidesf22 and held normal non-operated position therein by means 0fresilient supports 23 which, like the active contact wires, are embedded in the vertical bar 18. Each of the resilient supports 23 extendsthrough an individual aperture 24 in the cards 20' and each istensioned downwardly so as to normally hold the active contact wires out of engagement with their associatedpassive conductors. A stop 25 is provided for each resilient support for limiting the downward movement of the active. contact wires.

With each vertical row of active contact sets there is associated a vertical rotatable bar 26 which is provided at one end with an armature 37, a1ranged to be attracted by an electromagnet 39,,whereby the bar 26 is rotated out of its normal position in response to each energization of said electroa magnet. provided a number of rigid arms 27, each associated with a longitudinally movable, bar 28,.which is supported at one end on bushing 29, embedded in the insulation bar 18, and at the other end by the card 20 with which it is associated. A-spring 30 is pro-' vided to hold the bar 28 in operable relation with the arm 27 of the vertical selective bar andis preferably hooked at one end on the collar 31 rigidly fastened at the middle p01 tion of the bar 28 and'the other end is attached to the resilient support 23 as shown. no

With each set of passive contacts 2, 3, 4, 5, etc, there is associated a horizontal rotatable bar 32 each of which is provided withan armature 33 and an'electromagnet 34 whereby the-bar is rotated. Each hori- 105 35 is individually associated with aset of 110 On each vertical bar 26 there is' active contact wires and a bar 28. Each gagement therewith, a selective mechanism of the bars 28 is provided at its front end with a hook shaped portion, with which the associated arm is adapted to engage when magnet 39 is energized. Vhen magnet 3 is deenergized, the arm 35 is free to move in a vertical path in front of its associated operating bar 28 without engaging it.

Then the vertical bar 26 is rotated out of its normal position by electromagnet 39, the operating bars 28 are moved into positions wherein they intercept the path of other associated arms as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. The continued movement of th arm 35 results in lifting the operating card 20 so as to permit the active contact wires 10, ll, 12, and 13 to engage the passive conductors 2, 3, l, and respectively. The operating bars 28 and 82 together with arms 35 thereon, remain in their off-normal position throughout the duration of the connection, but the vertical bar 26 may be immediately restored to normal.

The operating bar 28, when engaged by bar 32, is moved a small distance lengthwise so as to be entirely clear of its associated operating arn'i 27 so that any subsequent movement of said arm is ineffective to disturb the connection already established.

In the system described in the aforementioned patent to C. L. Goodrum and J. N. Reynolds, only tw of the arms corresponding to 35 of bar 32 will be in use at one time, but all the arms 35 of the operat ing bar 32 are in their uppermost position regardless of the fact that all but two are performing no function. Fig, 2 illustrates in dotted lines the bar 28 in its pie-selected position. Now, in the event of the bar 32, which carries arms 35, being restored to normal while the bar 26 remains in its selected position as shown, it is essential that the bar 32 shall be able to return to normal immediately. The present invention provides for such restoration by having the arms 35 yieldable so that upon the arms 35 engaging with bar 28 they will be rotated against the resistance of restoring springs 38, thereby permitting bars 32 to restore,

What is claimed is:

1. In a switching mechanism, sets of disengaged contacts, a selective mechanism therefor including a selective bar, a longitudinally movable member associated with each set of said contacts, an operating bar for said members, and means carried by the first mentioned bar for moving said member in operable relation with the second mentioned bar to effect inter-engagement between said contacts.

2. In a switching mechanism, setsof active contacts arranged in a row on an upright support, sets of passive cont-acts arranged in a row and disposed coordinately to the first mentioned row but out of en- 'lor said active contacts comprising a selective bar, a plurality of longitudinally movable members, means carried by said bar to impart a preliminary movement to said member, and means for operating said members to effect interengagement between said active and passive contacts,

3. In a switching mechanism, rows of sets of active contacts, rows of sets of passive contacts associated therewith, a selective mechanism therefor com rising a plurality of longitudinally movab e bars, a selective bar associated with each row of active contacts, an operating bar associated with each row of passive contacts, means carried by said selective bar for simultaneously moving said longitudinally movable bars in operable relation with said operating bars, and means for o crating the third mentioned bars to ,e ect interengagement between said active and passive contacts.

4. In a switching mechanism, sets of passive contacts, sets'of active contacts associated therewith and mounted on an upright support, an operating card for each set of said active contacts, a movable member journaled at one end in said support and the other end in one of said cards, a selecting bar, a plurality of arms carried by said bar adapted to impart a longitudinal movement to said members, and an operating bar for selectively engaging said members to effect interengagement between said active and passive contacts.

5 In a switching mechanism, sets of disengaged active and passive contacts, a member for each set of said active contacts, a pair of rotatable bars, a longitudinally movable member for operating s id active contacts, a movement of one of said bars bein effective to move said second mentions member into operable relation with the other bar, said other bar when operated being effective to establish connection between said active and passive contacts at their crossing point, and resilient means for restoring said second mentioned member from operated to non-operated position.

6. In a switching mechanism, sets of disengaged active and passive contacts arranged in coordinate rows, selective and operating bars therefor, a plurality of lon 'itudinally movable members ada ted to In moved into operable relation witii said operating bars, a rotatable member carried yieldingly by each of said operating bars thereby for permitting said bar to restore from operated to non-operated sition.

7. In a coordinate switch, contact members arranged by sets, a selective mechanism therefor including selecting and an operating bar, an insulating card for each set of said active contacts, a movable member permanently in operable relation with said card, an arm carried by said selecting bar for imparting a longitudinal movement to said member, a hook formed at the end of said member, an arm carried by said operating bar adapted to en ge the hook portion of said member, am? means for operat ing the second mentioned bar to establish connection between said active and passive contacts.

8. In a switching mechanism, sets of active and passive contacts, selective and operatin bars therefor, an insulating card for each 0 said sets of active contacts, a longitudinally movable member permanently in operable relation with said card, means for rotating said bars to move said member and its associated insulating card thereby establishing a connection between said sets of active and passive contacts, a resilient member arranged to support said card and to restore said card to normal when said bars are released, and a second resilient member arranged to restore the said movable member to normal simultaneously with the restoration of the other resilient member.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th day of September A. D., 1922.

FRANK H. GRAHAM. 

